Resources for Election Day … for your sanity and well-being

These last four years have been years of grief and loss for so many of us. That’s why Alana Levandoski’s rendering of Mercy Now seems so fitting …

I’m so grateful for Alana and her voice and spirit. For more on Alana, see

https://alanalevandoski.hearnow.com/mercy-now

https://alanalevandoski.hearnow.com/mercy-now

In the midst of all the turmoil of Trump and his movement of bitterness and revenge, I have repeatedly found comfort in the music of Andy Gullahorn. Here is a song that I think is especially fitting today:

My friend Rob Lee, a descendant of Robert E. Lee, offers a 14 minute sermon especially for today:

Another dear friend and colleague, Diana Butler Bass, has been providing pastoral care for our nation these last four years (and before too). Here’s her gift to us for today:

https://dianabutlerbass.substack.com/p/a-better-america

I would like to share this paraphrase of the Beatitudes for today. Jesus taught …

“Blessed are the poor and vulnerable, and those in solidarity with the poor and vulnerable, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn for all lost to illness and violence, for they will be comforted.

“Blessed are the non-violent, for they will inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who are insatiably hungry and thirsty for justice, for they will be filled.

“Blessed are those who choose to be merciful rather than vengeful, for they will receive mercy.

“Blessed are those who choose to be pure in heart rather than deceitful and hypocritical, for they will see God.

“Blessed are those who choose to be spreaders of peace rather than spreaders of hate, for they will be called children of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted, harassed, heckled, rejected, and mocked for standing for justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely for standing with Jesus, for standing for what he stood for. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Finally, I want to say thank you to all of you …

Thank you to all who marched over these last four years, for all who peacefully protested and resisted the ugly and revelatory resurgence of racism, arrogance, and greed that have sprung up all over our country since 2016.

Thanks to all of your who rode buses, held rallies, organized get-out-the-vote initiatives, volunteered, called, tweeted, preached, prayed, and poured out your hearts to turn our nation and world away from hate, greed, and fear, and toward faith, hope, and love.

Thank you to all who wrote, posted, and went public … letting others know that you stand for dignity, decency, and honesty rather than lies, propaganda, and mean-spiritedness.

Thanks to all who had difficult conversations in person or online, firmly but graciously differing, refusing to let misinformation, conspiracy theories, and regressive messages of fear and bigotry go unchallenged.

Thanks for all who didn’t hit “send” on that reactive tweet or unverified Facebook post that would have added to the toxicity, and thanks to all who are better communicators today than they were in 2016, because you have learned from your mistakes and grown in skill, maturity, and wisdom through these challenging times.

Thanks to all who for the first time in your life took the bold step of endorsing a political candidate — as a way of saying no to Trumpism and all it represents.

Thanks to Republicans who stood up to be counted as having convictions that they would not surrender to Trump’s braggadocious bullying … and who knew the kind of vicious attacks they would suffer for going public, and did so anyway.

Thanks to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris for running, and for all who had the courage to run for office as part of the resistance in these difficult times — whether for the presidency, for Congress, or for state and local elected office. Whether you win or lose today, you have won morally simply because you did your best to provide an alternative.

Thanks to all who voted already, or who are voting today, whose decisions are guided by the common good, expressing love for neighbor, self, the earth, and the God who loves all (no exceptions).

Thanks to all who know, whatever the results of this election, that we will still need to get up next week and next month and next year to keep seeking the common good and bending the moral arc of the universe toward justice, joy, and peace.

Thanks to all who voted for the planet. Our earth needs us as never before. She is groaning with a fever, and she is suffering from an infection caused by our ignorance, haste, and greed.

Thanks to all who voted for the poor and vulnerable, who used their democratic power not for self-interest alone, but also for the well-being of their neighbors.

Thanks to all who voted for peace, knowing that a nation full of hate, fear, and weapons is a world on a broad path to self-destruction, and knowing that real peace can only come through equal and fair justice for all.

Thanks to all who had the courage to doubt what misguided religious leaders told them, and who let their faith grow deeper and wider and richer as a result.

Thanks to all the whistleblowers who have come forward, and to those who will do so today and in the weeks to come, because you are heroes who deserve a ticker-tape parade.

Thanks to all who put the love of justice above the love of money and the love of party.

Thanks to all who woke up and are staying awake.

Thanks to all who are learning how to see.

I send out a pre-emptive thanks to those who still don’t get it today, but might start waking up tomorrow or the next day or next week. Better late than never.

Thanks, once again, to all of you who are standing today for a better future and who embody the values of a new and better America and share a vision for a new and better world.

Win or lose, you have passed the test of these four years.

Thank you.